Together We Lead - Help Educate Spartan Nurses

You can help educate future Spartan Nurses, while promoting a culture of safety and medication administration competence, with a gift to purchase the latest technology being used in the delivery of care — Quick Response Scanners.

In effort to combat this issue, facilities where Michigan State University College of Nursing students complete clinical rotations have implemented various electronic coding and scanning systems to decrease the incidence of medication errors and adverse drug events.

Currently, to ensure the safety of medication administration, Michigan State University (MSU) College of Nursing (CON) students complete a simulated medication administration competency. During this exercise, students administer simulated medications to simulated patients.

Due to limitations of current equipment, the existing medication administration assessment requires students to scan a barcode that is too large to place on the medication itself. Therefore, medications are packaged in baggies with a large barcode attached, poorly aligning with the medication administration experience at clinical sites.

Your Support Helps Train MSU CON Students in Medication Administration

The enhanced capability of quick response (QR) scanners will allow for medication scanning and administration to be seamlessly integrated into simulated experiences throughout the curriculum. This effort aligns with the strategic plan to uphold a culture of safety, promote pharmacological competence, and enhance the quality and increase the volume of simulated medication administration experiences for students.

Funds raised will be used to purchase 10 scanners to be used at the College of Nursing’s two skills labs, which are located in East Lansing and Detroit.

While commercial Electronic Health Records are associated with a large cost, equipping the CON lab with QR scanners will create a medication scanning system that more closely and accurately simulates acute care setting practices. Additionally, this will provide a flawless transition for students as they begin administering medications at their clinical sites. In addition to providing a more realistic experience for students, this project aligns with the recommendation for nurses to improve the safety of medication use (IOM, 2007). Lastly, this effort coincides with the National Patient Safety Goals, particularly supporting the correct identification of patients, and the safe use of medications (The Joint Commission, 2017).

Who We Are

The College of Nursing Student Advisory Committee, a group of students composed of 10 members that represent each academic program, identified this need.

They have committed up to $1,000 in matching gift support to inspire current student, alumni, and friends to give!